The IACP conducted the training workshop, “Introduction to Juvenile Interview and Interrogation Techniques,” in New Orleans, Louisiana on Tuesday and Wednesday, June 25 and 26, 2013. The event is part of IACP’s Improving Law Enforcement Responses to Youth Training and Technical Assistance Program, supported by Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP) and co-sponsored by the New Orleans Police Department and the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation. The course is designed to introduce officers to fundamental investigative skills, tactics, and procedures to effectively interview and interrogate juveniles. Other topics covered include adolescent development, legal constraints, risk and liability and juvenile behavioral analysis.

The Superintendent of the New Orleans Police Department and Third Vice President of the IACP, Ronal Serpas, provided opening remarks, covering current issues in policing, emerging trends in juvenile crime and the prevalence of gun violence in New Orleans. He encouraged officers to utilize the techniques taught in the training workshop to improve their interactions with juveniles.

Superintendent Ronal Serpas delivers opening remarks to participants

Training facilitators included Lieutenant Theresa McQuaid from the Baltimore County (MD) Police Department; Detective (Retired) James Nawoichyk, Orangetown (NY) Police Department; and Judge Derrick Morrison of the 305th District Juvenile Court in Dallas, Texas, who previously worked as a juvenile public defender. The course had 65 law enforcement officers from 21 departments representing five states: Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia.

Interested in juvenile interview and interrogation? Request IACP’s publication: Reducing Risks: An Executive’s Guide to Effective Juvenile Interview and Interrogation. This resource is targeted to law enforcement and includes recommended best practices, information on recent research and key cases affecting law enforcement, with sample documents that departments can use in their own jurisdictions. Request a free copy at http://www.theiacp.org/reducingrisks .